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Voter Services for Persons with Disabilities

The Alexandria Electoral Board and Voter Registration Office make every reasonable effort to see that all voters have full access to voter registration and voting within the City of Alexandria. In particular, the Board seeks to establish and maintain polling places and voting systems that are compliant with laws covering the accessibility of persons with disabilities.

As the Board formulates precinct recommendations to city council the issue of maintaining and improving accessibility is high on the list of criteria for establishing polling places. In addition, the Board closely consulted the Alexandria Commission on Persons with Disabilities when considering various voting systems and ultimately selecting eSlate, easily the most accessible voting system available.

While the Board recognizes the necessity of maintaining fully accessible polling places, due to the nature of some disabilities and the preference of some who have disabilities, the law provides for alternatives to regular polling place voting. The following voting methods are available to persons with disabilities, injuries, or illnesses:

B. Curbside/Outside the Polls Voting
Any voter 65 or older or who has a physical disability may receive special assistance on Election Day by voting from a car outside the polling place. The voter will call 703-746-4050 to notify election officials of expected time of arrival at the polling place, or upon arrival at the polling place, send an assistant or representative into the polling place to notify the chief election official at the precinct of the voter's intent to vote at the curb. Precinct election officials will take required documents and the ballot to the car, where the voter will mark the ballot. Election officials will return the ballot to the polling place and deposit it in the ballot box. Special procedures are prescribed by law to ensure the voter's right to cast a secret ballot is protected.

C. Voter in Need of Assistance
Any voter 65 or older, or who has a physical disability may receive special assistance on Election Day in marking and casting the ballot. The voter may bring a family member or friend to the polling place or be assisted by a precinct election official. The voter will sign a statement verifying the need for assistance and the assisting person will sign a statement verifying that he/she:

will vote the ballot in accordance with the voter's instructions;

will not attempt to influence the voter in any way;

will not reveal to anyone, the choices made by the voter and that;

the person assisting is not the voter's employer or union representative.

Accessibility Advisory

The Virginia State Board of Elections in 2006, recognized Alexandria for bringing all polling places in full compliance with state and federal accessibility standards.